[bushg]

What will this info show the vet?
I had him in for impacted anal glands and seizures.

[carolbcac]

Hey, bushg!
I suspect the blood work is being done primarily because of the seizures. The chem profile will basically tell you whether there are obvious problems with the liver, kidneys, blood sugar, and so on. It will seldom pinpoint a cause for seizures, but a normal profile is invaluable for telling your vet what is probably NOT causing them. The CBC will check for abnormalities in the red blood cells, such as anemia, and the white cells, such as an infection.
If everything comes back normal, then you have to start asking lots of other questions. The age of the dog, the age of onset of seizures, good descriptions of the events, when they occur and how long they last. You may even be referred to a neurologist for specialized testing. When there just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the seizures, they are generally given a diagnosis of "idiopathic epilepsy" (fancy terms for we-don't-know-what-in-the-heck-is-causing-this!) And the dog is placed on anti-seizure medication.
I think it is a good idea to keep a seizure diary of every episode, and include everything you can think of--time of day, what the dog was doing right before the episode, how it acted later, what did it eat and when, any new people around, even the weather that day and the phase of the moon. Some people are able to pick up a pattern and recognize triggers for the seizures over time.
Let me know how things go.

[bushg]

Thank you for the info.
I have all the events leading up to it time and dates. I just read this morning about the full moon I may be able to go back and check that out as well.

I am hoping the anal glands and seizures are connected... this all started a few weeks after I changed his brand of dog food... crossing my fingers that the dog food is the problem or rather the preservatives in the new dog food verus the old food that was free of them. I have been so sad and upset over it that I could not bear to post about the problem... alomst like if I did not speak of it it wouldn't be true... I am terrified for my baby. He will be 4 in September, weighs 10 pounds and is rarely out of my site so I know he did not ingest any poison or plants.

[bushg]

I got my dogs lab report back, they have marked on it slight hemolysis, I am waiting for the vet to call.

[doggie_poopie]

Don't worry yet. This can be due to the blood sample was taken with a too small needle, placed into tubes incorrectly or waited too long to be separated or spun and the Red Blood cells fractured or burst. This is quit common.

Any values high or low? I would have to say that seizures can be from food and I know the anal glands can be also. What are you feeding?

[doggie_poopie]

Some info from causes_&_treatment on a canine epilepsy website.

Diet:
Diet plays an important role in the management of Canine Epilepsy. It is very important to feed a kibble that is preservative-free. Preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA should be avoided as they can cause seizures. Many "supermarket" foods are loaded with chemical dyes and preservatives. Buy a high quality kibble made from "human grade" ingredients or better yet, cook for your dog. Many recipes can be found in Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. PLEASE NOTE: If your dog is taking potassium bromide, be very careful when you switch dog foods. Try to make sure the sodium content is the same as the previous food. Change over very slowly, whether it is the same sodium content or different, so that the absorption rate of the potassium bromide remains constant.

SUSAN WYNN, DVM, on the canine diet: "Dogs evolved from Canis lupis - the wolf. Wolves eat caribou or the like, but if they are forced, they will eat smaller game (rarely). They have been observed to graze on grass, eat berries, etc, but only when they need to. This is our lesson in canine nutrition - they are omnivores who do well with fresh meat, the vegetation they get in a caribou stomach (which is mostly green, unless the beast is eating from baited fields), and a smattering of other stuff if they are hungry.

"Food companies have, in the main, revolutionized pet nutrition by eliminating major nutritional deficiencies and providing optimal nutrition for the average pet. Our concern, however, is not for the average pet. It is for the sick pet. If epileptic animals have a disease with even a small nutritional component, wouldn't we want to deal with it? Is your epileptic animal showing other signs of allergies? If s/he is chewing feet, scratching ears, having anal gland problems, vomiting bile seasonally, etc. one may want to consider dietary changes, including hypoallergenic diets, if appropriate.

"I think that the main benefit of feeding real food - meat (raw or cooked) raw or steamed veggies, cooked grains - is to provide stuff that is killed in the kibble extrusion process. If you or I were to eat a diet of Wheaties, yogurt, VegAll, and Spam day after day for 20 years, would this be enough? I don't know, but it makes me uncomfortable. I think our pets need a more varied diet and a fresher one than we can give them with commercial kibble. So I do recommend supplementing pet food with lean meat and vegetables."

PS. Dr. Wynn is a graduate of the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a clinical internship in Washington, D.C. and a fellowship in viral immunology at the Emory University School of Medicine. After 20 years of clinical practice, she now serves as a clinical resident with the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Wynn also writes, teaches and speaks on the subject of clinical nutrition.

[bushg]

She wants him to see a neurologist if he has another seizure in the next 4 weeks.
I am also supposed to put him back on his old dog food. She thinks it may probably be a case of canine epilspey. She said none of his levels were off enough to indicate problems with his internal organs.

Doogie poopie thank you for your information.
I am going to do a lot of research on do's and don't and change everything from his water bowl to the quality of his food. He is worth the effort.